I feel special

wil

Today a taxi driver pulled in on top of me as I cycled down O'Connell Street, no indicator, no warning, I braked and narrowly avoided hitting him. I barely had time to clench my fists in preparation for a good roof thumping, not even time for my lungs to inhale fully in preparation for a bellow of rage, my lips had hardly begun to form the outlines of the first syllables of an expletive ridden tirade, adrenaline was still getting itself prepared for a good dousing, when he apologised. Simply rolled down his window and said he was really sorry.
Have taxi drivers suddenly figured out a civilised method for dealing with cyclists they almost run down or was it just me and this particular taxi.
Anyway it took all the steam out of my carefuly prepared and by now perfectly honed response.
I cycled on.
At the next set of lights I stopped (still in shock obviously) and he pulled up alongside me and gave another apologetic wave. At this point I leaned over to the car and asked him to wind down the window. I guess assuming a fist was about to enter he did so slowly, and I told him quite politely that I appreciated his apology and acknowledgement of what he had done and it wasnt often that taxi drivers apologised. And there we left it.
SO I was wondering if anyone else has experienced such random unexpected acts of apology or was it just me. You neednt limit it to taxis if you wish as Ive found apologies in fairly short supply from all types of motorist no matter how wrong or dangerous they appear.
Just to be clear, this is not motorist bashing, Ive been walking, cycling and driving for quite a few years now and know there's very few saints out there.
Polite replies only, and please no board rage

cyclopath2001

I can't say a taxi driver has ever apologised to me but, if you ignore their persistent speeding and bad overtaking, their standard of driving seems to have improved over the years. One thing I respect with taxi drivers is that it's possible to negotiate with them, if you indicate your intentions in time. This is unlike women in dark glasses driving SUVs, they pretend to see nobody and just barge on.

mikemac

Did he use his hazard lights?
You do know of course that if a taxi uses their hazard lights they are entitled to swerve and stop anywhere.:p

IMO actions speak louder than words. An apology is just words and the fact that he is a far more experienced "professional" driver than most of use will ever be makes this even more unacceptable.

Talk is cheap and an apology means nothing to me on the road. How does it compensate you at all for the fright you got?

Now if you said you were shaking and no longer felt confident and he gave you a free fare to your destination, then that might mean something.

bman

micmclo wrote:

Talk is cheap and an apology means nothing to me on the road. How does it compensate you at all for the fright you got?

What else is the taxi driver going to do?! Driving you to your destination is just not going to happen. Would you expect another motorist to drive you to your destination in the same situation.

He's just trying to say sorry for the situation. Accept it and move on!

annoymous

Yes i am a Taxi Driver.:p And Yes most of the team hv no manners on the road.:cool: But come on Cyclist's Pffft. The first and last hand signal that we see from u guy's is the bird.:( Leaping off path's, running red light's, swerving in and out of cars, using ur moblies as u cycle. Never using the cycle lanes, provided for u that cost money to build. Man u need to show ped's respect as u bomb up and down paths. Practise wot u preach guys.;) I hope it rains non-stop all winter on u.:D Peace out...

seraphimvc

what's the point of this thread ?

people did something wrong,say sorry ,that's all.

or maybe you wanna try some legal actions on that taxi driver?:D

i cant see the point of this thread....:o

Mr.Diagnostic

wil wrote:

I barely had time to clench my fists in preparation for a good roof thumping,

Was this poetic license just to add to the post or something you would condone?

Do you have any idea how easy it is to damage a roof skin and how difficult and expensive it is to repair?

copacetic

Mr.Diagnostic wrote:

Was this poetic license just to add to the post or something you would condone?

Do you have any idea how easy it is to damage a roof skin and how difficult and expensive it is to repair?

:rolleyes: any idea how easy it is to damage human skin and bone with a car and how difficult it is to repair?

r3nu4l

copacetic wrote:

:rolleyes: any idea how easy it is to damage human skin and bone with a car and how difficult it is to repair?

Zing! Nice one!

Well all I can say is that this incident shows how a well-timed apology when you realise you are in the wrong can defuse a situation. Well done to the taxi driver and well done to the OP for accepting the apology.

unkel

Del Griffith wrote:

this incident shows how a well-timed apology when you realise you are in the wrong can defuse a situation. Well done to the taxi driver and well done to the OP for accepting the apology.

+1

arybvtcw0eolkf

All I'll say is the last cyclist who thumped the roof of my car was chinned.

I also had a cyclist thump my helmet because I was in a cycle lane near Christchurch, my motorbike clutch cable had just snapped.

I followed him to the lights and chinned him too.

Let anyone touch me or my property and I'll hit back very hard.

As for the taximan, had you hit the roof of his car he'd probably have had a different attitude towards the whole thing.

Had you crashed into him, you would probably have been help liable since a brakelight is a warning that he's stopping.

Mr.Diagnostic

copacetic wrote:

:rolleyes: any idea how easy it is to damage human skin and bone with a car and how difficult it is to repair?

Good reply from a humor point of view, but not exactly valid.

copacetic

Mairt wrote:

Had you crashed into him, you would probably have been help liable since a brakelight is a warning that he's stopping.

:rolleyes:

is a brake light also a warning that he was going to veer in to the left and cut off the cyclist?
the roll eyes is coming in useful on this thread. what a bunch of *****

copacetic

Mr.Diagnostic wrote:

Good reply from a humor point of view, but not exactly valid.

I dunno, i think it worked on both levels. You seem more concerned that the cyclist might have banged on the roof of the car rather that the car might have killed the cyclist.

hawker

Mairt wrote:

All I'll say is the last cyclist who thumped the roof of my car was chinned.

I also had a cyclist thump my helmet because I was in a cycle lane near Christchurch, my motorbike clutch cable had just snapped.

I followed him to the lights and chinned him too.

Let anyone touch me or my property and I'll hit back very hard.

As for the taximan, had you hit the roof of his car he'd probably have had a different attitude towards the whole thing.

Had you crashed into him, you would probably have been help liable since a brakelight is a warning that he's stopping.

Oh look, it's the A-team.

You seem to spend a lot of the time 'chinning' people. Every stop and think that maybe once that you may be wrong and people are just taking out their frustrations?

You never said why the cyclist thumped your car. You obviously did something to p!ss him off. Would you be happier if he 'chinned' you for what you did wrong.

He who chins last, chins longest!!:)

Mr.Diagnostic

copacetic wrote:

I dunno, i think it worked on both levels. You seem more concerned that the cyclist might have banged on the roof of the car rather that the car might have killed the cyclist.

Nope, you got the wrong impression.

The cyclist was not hit by the car. If he was then I doubt he would have banged on the roof, unless he happened to land there. I would be very concerned about cyclist safety.

Quite simply, I was wondering if the OP thought that damaging a car was acceptable as retaliation for a near miss.

wil

Spot on Del G

Knowing when you are in the wrong and acknowledging the fact is an essential part of road safety. Without being aware of your mistakes you have no idea how or what to improve.
Not acknowledging your mistakes in such a situation is a good indication of your attitude both on the road and to other road users. If you show little regard for the safety of other road users then your attitude it little different to undesirables you meet in other walks of life.
Unlike other countries not far from here, Irish driving instruction appears to place little emphasis on attitude. Rules are of little use if you do not give a ..., in which case you should not be on the road.
Self regulation is as important as law enforcement but due to lack of education/differences in culture/attitude much less effective here than in other countries.

I do not condone any violence on the roads, thumping, chinning or whatever, but there can be little as violent as a a tonne of metal pounding into flesh, little as traumatic as face grinding
tarmac. Reality sucks. I do however feel that a healthy dose of rage (within the law) is a necessary control to otherwise appalling complacency. Too many people are too willing to condone
and ignore the the most obvious of blatant disregard for human life. Unfortunately for reasons of ignorance and poor attitude much of the anger that does happen is misplaced, out of context and missproportionate.

Any thumping I have ever done as a cyclist has been in the interest of the driver, so that at least I wouldnt be the reason they couldnt tick that box "have you been in an accident" It has never caused damage. A slap on a window or roof edge will not cause damage (please dont bother disputing this, I have a car and I thump gently), but it will give a motorist an idea just how close they went to a cyclist. A slap on a cyclist with a car usally has a different outcome.
Any retaliation I get involved in tends to be of the polite verbal kind. Once I have recovered all limbs and straightened my wheels, I prefer to psychoanalyse them to discover if lack of hugs from their mother as a child really did lead to the psychotic attitude displayed behind the wheel.

Mr D - I dont condone intentionally damaging a car in retaliation. That serves only to give them an excuse to do it again. I would only ever consider marking a car if it was attempting to leave the scene of an accident. That could be used as evidence of involvement later. Try to get a much blood on the upholstery as possible, its a bitch to get out.

In response to some other comments, braking may be a warning of stopping, but swerving in to a cycle lane without indicating or observation is not, and is an attempt on a life.

A premeditated chinning is assault. Mairt you sound like a really pleasant chap. Have you considered that under your criteria, the next time your sister/mother/wife is responsible for a small scrape you'd have no problem with her taking her chinning and accepting it. Doubt it.

Sorry I dont have a poetic licence, full UK only, still on my provisional poetry theory. Will continue to write and exhibit occasional humour until I get caught.

Some talk is cheap, more is worth millions, an apology is an acknowledgement, and that is a start.
For some an apology is everything, worth more than any amount of money but I dont wish to pursue any further discussion on this as history has plenty of examples.

Ah yes - hazard lights, the Irish motoring equivalent of saying "Sorry" before elbowing you when passing (as observed by a Canadian friend)

Cyclopath - many of those women (and men for that matter) are not pretending - they havent seen you, and have long made the assumption that whatever is in the way of an XXXL SUV is not likely to stay there. You dont feel the bumps in a good SUV.

Thread may be pointless, deaths on road certainly are.

Anon taximan - thank you for your apology, and I acknowledge as a partime cyclist many of us are no angels, your list of cyclist offences is valid and equally offensive (Ignoring the fact that housed in a metal cage you are immune to much more than a scratch) but in light of your new found politeness I will endeavour to respond in kind.
Now with that in mind I think I have said enough, actions speak etc. I am hopping in to my car and will attempt to eliminate* the first cyclist I see causing distress to my new found compadres.
(*Provisional poetic licence invoked - "elimitate" does not imply or condone use of violence or disregard for safety whatsoever)

Anan1

Post of the week, IMO.

arybvtcw0eolkf

hawker wrote:

Oh look, it's the A-team.

You seem to spend a lot of the time 'chinning' people. Every stop and think that maybe once that you may be wrong and people are just taking out their frustrations?

You never said why the cyclist thumped your car. You obviously did something to p!ss him off. Would you be happier if he 'chinned' you for what you did wrong.

He who chins last, chins longest!!:)

Oh, my baby daughter was getting sick and stuck in her baby seat.

Cyclists should consider a few things before hitting a drivers car.

I've spent upwards of 70k on my family car's.

I have an extremly short and explosive fuse. As do other's.

I'll react VERY strongly to any sort of provocation and seriously I doubt there's a cyclist in his city ready for that.

Stark

Mairt wrote:

I'll react VERY strongly to any sort of provocation and seriously I doubt there's a cyclist in his city ready for that.

Oh aren't we the hard man? I'm sure everyone here is impressed that you go around punching people whenever you feel like it.

Mr.Diagnostic wrote:

The cyclist was not hit by the car. If he was then I doubt he would have banged on the roof, unless he happened to land there. I would be very concerned about cyclist safety.

Quite simply, I was wondering if the OP thought that damaging a car was acceptable as retaliation for a near miss.

"But I missed" isn't a catch-all for getting you off the hook.

What next: "Sorry Garda. I know I broke that red light but everyone dived out of the way successfully so no harm done eh?"

arybvtcw0eolkf

Stark wrote:

Oh aren't we the hard man? I'm sure everyone here is impressed that you go around punching people whenever you feel like it.

:rolleyes:


Cyclists only thump car roof's because they feel they can get away through the traffic, feck that.

The OP probably also cycles through red lights like every other cyclist. Probably has a flashing illegal front light (like the rest) etc, etc, etc.. They're hardly the most careful of road users out there.

Fvck 'em all.

mikemac

Mairt wrote:

I have an extremly short and explosive fuse. As do other's.

I'll react VERY strongly to any sort of provocation and seriously I doubt there's a cyclist in his city ready for that.

And you go around hitting cyclists?
I know you're into your Martial Arts, did you miss the part about self-control?

Anan1

Mairt wrote:

'Sup twinkle toes, scared?


:rolleyes:

Yeah, he thinks you're going to jump out of his monitor. Mairt, you're a fool. Would you not go and embarrass yourself somewhere else?

copacetic

Mairt wrote:

'Sup twinkle toes, scared?


:rolleyes:


Cyclists only thump car roof's because they feel they can get away through the traffic, feck that.

The OP probably also cycles through red lights like every other cyclist. Probably has a flashing illegal front light (like the rest) etc, etc, etc.. They're hardly the most careful of road users out there.

Fvck 'em all.

have to say Mairt after seeing plenty of your posts around other threads I thought you were an ok guy.

After this thread my eyes have been opened. I don't know how you can't see what a shocking attitude you have. It's sickening tbh.

It was good to see posts from the other point of view, but now you are just proving that taxi drviers are often scum

wil

I was kinda hoping this wouldnt descend in to a riot of chinning and thumping (still cant find chinning in the ROTR, must ask Gaybo to be more thorough next publication)

This is becoming a fine example of so much that is wrong on our roads, ignorance, missplaced anger, intolerance where tolerance would be appropriate yet complacent at real problems.

Mairt almost every gripe you have against cyclists is repeated daily thousandfold by motorists, breaking red lights, wrong way on one way streets, no signals, vereing across lanes, no brake lights, no lights whatsoever, etc etc etbloodycetera. Motorists - theyre hardly the most careful road users out there. Two wrongs dont make an illegal right. Big difference is cyclists rarely kill. If I touch you with a twig, does that condone you laying in to me with a baseball bat. Dont bother I already know your answer. Ive met you already.

Never aimed a warning swipe at a car that wasnt already trying to knock me down. Blinkered drivers just dont hear your tinkling bell and anguished screams over their mobile chat or urgent texting.

I can assure you now, if you ever let your little girl out on a bicycle in Dublin, you will be telling her to stick to the footpath, because god forbid she meets you or someone like you.
"Daddy why can't I ride my new bicycle on the road? - Because it's too dangerous"

Drivers should consider a few things before hitting a cyclist.
Your car is replaceable, my wife and children are not.
My wife WAS knocked off her bike and injured by some .... who should have known better ploughing through a red light in a very expensive car.
I have witnessed some serious bike accidents caused by motorists.
A friend of mine witnessed a girl killed of her bike by a truck driver.
I have yet to hear of a motorist injured by a cyclist.

Mairt - Your short fuse is likely to leave 2 sets of kids without a dad to look up to, short term
or longer.
BTW do you do nightclubs?

I did request no board rage, I thought I was joking.
Might be getting close to drinking up time.

Masada

to mairt, i wonder how you will feel the next time you are in a situation in which you feel it necessary to "chin" someone on the road, only to find yourself on the recieving end of said chinning, I myself would say i have a short temper but it doesnt lead me to punching random cyclists for meaningless reasons, however if faced with someone like you attempting to punch me over a disagreement on the roads you would be met with fierce retaliation. Sometimes we have confrontations on the roads but with a few words, maybe even the not so nice ones are enough to expell some of the built up rage and to get on with your journey in the knowledge that you will somewhere, sometime be in this situation again, its called "life";)

Esel

"Never mud-wrestle a pig; you get filthy, and the pig enjoys it".

Masada

esel wrote:

"Never mud-wrestle a pig; you get filthy, and the pig enjoys it".

PMSL, i like that one.,:D

Anan1

esel wrote:

"Never mud-wrestle a pig; you get filthy, and the pig enjoys it".

That's excellent!:)

RoundyMooney

Not like you, Mairt

The abiding lesson here, as has been said, is that an unsolicited apology goes a long way, whether you're 100% right, 100% wrong, or more commonly, somewhere in between.

I haven't "chinned" anybody since I was in school, and I hope it never comes to that in the future either.